Caught in Affairs with Superstar
Chapter 187 - 155: The Beginning of the Scandal

Chapter 187: Chapter 155: The Beginning of the Scandal

He Yong thought for a moment and asked directly, "Can I ask what she talked to you about?"

Zhou Yun said straightforwardly, "You know exactly what she said to me."

Pretend to be confused.

If you don’t know, then why bother coming all the way here?

Zhou Yun’s attitude toward He Yong is becoming more and more direct and unmasked.

In fact, Zhou Yun has considered that if He Yong could really have an open and honest talk with her, addressing everything inside out, maybe the past could be erased.

After all, all crows under the sun are black, and the darkness of He Yong is one Zhou Yun has experienced; at least it’s more familiar.

But He Yong is always hesitating, not speaking his mind, pretending to be oblivious while understanding everything. This attitude has increasingly disappointed Zhou Yun.

Zhou Yun even thought, even Su Yan knew to bow to Kang Xin in time because she knew where the power lies. Why does He Yong treat her like a princess to please but begrudgingly treat her like a beggar?

He Yong smiled sheepishly, "She wants to poach you for Zuo Jing?"

"Um, yes." Zhou Yun nodded.

He Yong’s expression instantly turned to panic.

Zhou Yun didn’t conceal her intention at all. Could it be—

"Did you agree?" He Yong asked anxiously.

Zhou Yun glanced at He Yong and said, "Does President He hope I agreed?"

"Of course I hope you didn’t!" He Yong immediately said, and after he finished, he suddenly realized, smiled, and his face relaxed a bit, "You haven’t agreed yet."

"President He, do you know how many companies like Luo Zhiqiu have come to poach me?" Zhou Yun asked.

He Yong nodded and said, "Of course I’m aware, I came today—"

"Then President He, if you didn’t know Luo Zhiqiu came to see me, when were you planning to talk to me?" Zhou Yun forcefully interrupted He Yong.

He Yong was taken aback.

"Any artist in my position would have already changed contracts with another company by now, wouldn’t they?" Zhou Yun’s gaze was cold as she fixed her eyes on He Yong, her presence surging suddenly, startling He Yong with the intensity that burst forth from her, and she continued, "Is it that the money I make for the company is not enough, or does the company simply not care about my value?"

In just a few months, Zhou Yun has transformed completely, both inside and out.

If one just witnessed this scene, who would imagine that just half a year ago, Zhou Yun was a character who had to obey his orders and act obediently?

A fire brewed in He Yong’s heart, but he still maintained a placating smile.

"Xiao Yun, calm down. As for preparing a new contract for you, I actually already had it scheduled. It’s just that you were busy filming ’Heart Inquiry,’ and working out a new contract isn’t something that can be settled in a few words, so it’s been delayed until now. Look, I’m here, aren’t I? I came today to talk to you about a new contract; I’ve managed to fight for a 50-50 split for you."

A 50-50 split.

That split percentage was indeed generous.

Zhou Yun’s expression softened slightly.

But she still didn’t speak.

He Yong thought Zhou Yun wasn’t satisfied with the split and said, "Xiao Yun, this split is already quite good. Trust me, ninety percent of artists in the industry can’t get such a percentage. Given that you’re still considered a newcomer with no major works, getting this rate under these circumstances really took a lot of effort. I’ve talked till my lips were raw, only then did I convince them."

Zhou Yun said, "President He has really gone through a lot, needing to talk so much that your lips are raw just to persuade them of this split."

He Yong: "..."

He didn’t believe Zhou Yun was unaware that, by industry standards, a 50-50 split for a rising star like her was already very decent. Clearly, Zhou Yun was deliberately mocking him.

He Yong: "Xiao Yun, I thought we had already spoken and cleared up past issues."

"President He, what does this have to do with past issues? Chengqian Entertainment isn’t just the agency. ’Spring Cold’ is about to wrap up. What about me? With ’Eighth Heartbeat’, I’m not even asking for it to help me much; I’m just grateful if it doesn’t ruin my acting career. ’Heart Inquiry’ was a role Song Chi contacted me for. When does the company plan to help me land a good role, or to produce a good role for me?" Zhou Yun asked.

He Yong said, "Didn’t I give some scripts to Zhou Lan a while ago? They’re all set for production by our film department."

"President He, are those scripts guaranteed to be mine just because I express interest in them?" Zhou Yun retorted.

He Yong was startled.

Of course, he could not simply nod and agree.

The agency and the film company operate separately. Although both are under Chengqian Group, they are not in cahoots and sometimes even compete with each other.

Those projects were sent to Zhou Yun mainly by head office’s decision.

Their own productions should be screened by their own artists first.

If Zhou Yun has a play she wants to act in, it provides good reason for the company to "overcome all difficulties" and assign that role to Zhou Yun.

The relationship between partnerships is never simple; even if I’ve set my sights on you, I still need to keep it under wraps for a while and finally let you personally ask for it.

After all, Zhou Yun’s power to choose her work had been seized by herself, which the head office wasn’t happy about.

A newcomer, where did she get the capital to not comply with the company’s arrangements?

If it weren’t for Zhou Yun’s rise to fame having nothing to do with the company, if it weren’t for her being in the spotlight right now and that Chengqian Entertainment just so happened to lack other prominent female artists, why would the company ever tolerate such a situation?

But the urgent matter was to stabilize Zhou Yun.

Letting her go is definitely off the table, but if this affects Zhou Yun’s future collaboration with the company, the losses would be too great, something He Yong was not willing to bear.

It’d be best to resolve the conflict peacefully, eliminating it in the cradle.

Zhou Yun got into the business car arranged by the crew and said to He Yong, "President He, I’m going back to the hotel to rest. Let’s talk about anything else tomorrow."

He Yong was left hanging on set, somewhat annoyed.

Yet he couldn’t show his anger.

Everything that happened tonight made He Yong feel both embarrassed and helpless; Zhou Yun’s brazen attitude came from the fact that her popularity had nothing to do with the company.

She didn’t rely on the company.

And because of this, He Yong had no leverage and could only lower his stance.

No matter what, he had to keep Zhou Yun; otherwise, his position at Chengqian Entertainment wouldn’t be secure.

—These scripts were not particularly good; only "Luoyan" seemed slightly better, to which Zhou Yun did show some interest, but at this moment another fantasy series "Letter to You" came to Zhou Yun. "Letter to You" will be broadcast on Hongcheng TV Station, so Zhou Yun inclined towards "Letter to You" more.

This was information gathered by his secretary.

He Yong looked at the night ahead, took out his phone, and dialed Liang Haiyuan’s number.

"Hello? Producer Liang, He Yong speaking..."